Movie · 2022 · Drama, Adventure · 1h 28m · NR · English
Curator score: 6.6/10 (108.3K ratings)
May all your dreams come true.
Overview
The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. EO, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune randomly turn his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss. But not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.6/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.57/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Metacritic: 85
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Jerzy Skolimowski
Production
Skopia Film, Alien Films, Recorded Picture Company, Fale Loki Koki, Grupa Moderator Studio Filmowe, Veilo
Cast
Sandra Drzymalska, Isabelle Huppert, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Mateusz Kościukiewicz, Tomasz Organek, Lolita Chammah, Agata Sasinowska, Anna Rokita, Michał Przybysławski, Gloria Iradukunda, Piotr Szaja, Aleksander Janiszewski, Delfina Wilkońska, Andrzej Szeremeta, Wojciech Andrzejuk, Mateusz Murański, Marcin Drabicki, Maciej Stępniak, Fernando Junior Gomes da Silva, Krzysztof Karczmarz
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A strange, mournful, and visually inventive road movie that turns a donkey’s journey into a poetic study of cruelty, wonder, and accidental grace. It’s more sensory and impressionistic than plot-driven, but that’s exactly where its power lies.
Best for
Viewers who like arthouse cinema with a strong formal idea
Fans of animal-centered stories that are not sentimental
People drawn to environmental, existential, or anti-anthropocentric themes
Audiences open to episodic, dreamlike storytelling
Skip if
You want a conventional narrative with clear character arcs
You prefer emotionally straightforward or family-friendly animal films
You’re impatient with abstract symbolism and tonal shifts
You dislike movies that are more experiential than explanatory
Overview
EO is a rare film that commits fully to its premise: a donkey’s life becomes a prism for human violence, absurdity, tenderness, and indifference. Jerzy Skolimowski keeps the movie loose and episodic, but the formal control is precise, with sound, color, and movement used to place us inside a world that feels both physical and dreamlike.
Worth noting
What makes it linger is its refusal to sentimentalize the animal at its center. EO is not a mascot or a metaphor to be neatly decoded; he is simply alive, vulnerable, and exposed to whatever people project onto him. That gives the film a quiet emotional sting, especially when its moments of beauty arrive without warning.
Bottom line
It won’t be for everyone, especially viewers looking for a traditional story or a warm animal adventure. But for those open to a poetic, sometimes punishing cinematic experience, EO is one of the more distinctive films of recent years: sad, strange, and unexpectedly moving.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Colin Burgess (3.5★) · 3399 likes
6 donkeys played EO in this. I’m really good at recognizing different donkeys so that really took me out of it
Ella Kemp (3.5★) · 2506 likes
I would protect EO, listen to EO, cherish EO, support EO, pray to EO, love this here donkey named EO
Karsten (4★) · 2461 likes
when (if) I make it to 84, I hope I get to make something this appreciative of the earth and the creatures that make it worth living on
davidehrlich (4★) · 1932 likes
EO is my best friend.
oliveblair (4★) · 1754 likes
A24 killing themselves that they didn’t produce this fr
1988 · Adventure, Drama, Family · 1h 37m · PG · Curator 7.1/10 (37.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Night Flight Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A largely nonverbal animal journey film that balances tenderness, peril, and immersive natural observation.